1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to infant cribs and more particularly to infant cribs having soft bumpers at the mattress edges thereof to protect infants from contact with vertical bars or other hard structures of cribs. More specifically, the present invention is directed to crib structures that define drain channels at the edges of a crib mattress for the purpose of draining away or otherwise removing any concentration of heavy, unhealthy or potentially non-life sustaining gas, such as carbon dioxide, that may otherwise be confined by the interfitting relationship of crib bumpers and mattresses, and thus permitting replacement of such heavy gases by the oxygen containing environmental air of the room in which the infant crib is located so that the air within the infant crib will be of essentially the same quality as the environmental air about the crib.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical infant crib is provided with a crib mattress and mattress support for comfortable support of an infant and is further provided with walls or vertical bars to confine an infant to the crib. To minimize the potential for discomfort or injury to an infant by contact with hard objects such as the walls or vertical bars of a crib, the crib is typically provided with bumpers for contact by infants. Typical crib bumpers are from about 6" to about 10" in height and are typically composed of a sponge rubber or polymer material having a thickness in the order of about 2" and having a suitable covering of material such as fabric, polymer sheeting or the like. Typically the lower edge of a crib bumper is straight so that it can seat on an edge of the crib mattress without forming any cracks that any part of the body of an infant, particularly a small or newborn infant can force its way into. The bottom edge of a typical crib bumper, in essence, establishes a seal with the upper edge surface of the crib mattress so that any concentrations of heavy gases cannot drain from the level of the upper surface of the crib mattress. Typically, crib bumpers provide a soft lining about the sides and ends of a crib and, in many cases, crib bumpers are defined by a continuous length of bumper material that is jointed in such manner that it defines corners matching the corners of the crib. Many crib bumpers are held in place by tie cords that are tied to the vertical bars of a crib.
One of the problems that has been found to exist with infant cribs that are fitted with crib bumpers is that in the region where an infant will lie, the region on and just above the mattress, the air circulation can be poor, especially when the crib is confined in a location that minimizes air drafts. The crib bumper, positioned about the edges of the mattress and virtually forming a seal with the mattress, defines a somewhat confined rectangular space, not unlike a shallow pool, which is open only at the top. If there is poor air circulation within the infant's room, which is often the case, a condition may exist where there is poor circulation or interchange of the air immediately about an infant lying on the mattress so that the oxygen supply to the infant may be inadequate for optimum healthy conditions. In the event concentrations of heavy gases are present within the "shallow pool" defined by the interfitting relation of the infant crib and crib mattress, the heavy gases may substantially exclude the typical oxygen containing air of the room, which is of less specific gravity as compared with the heavy gases, so that the infant is forced to "rebreathe" the heavy gases, carbon dioxide for example, to the exclusion of healthy air. This condition of inadequate oxygen supply may be exacerbated by the position of the infant on the mattress. For example, if the infant is lying on its back, the infant's nose and mouth will be located several inches above the level of the mattress, i.e., near the upper portion of the shallow pool where the quality of the air is better for efficient and healthful breathing. On the other hand, if the infant is lying on its stomach, with its head turned to one side, a typical position for infants, the nose and mouth of the infant will be located quite close to the mattress, i.e., near the bottom of the shallow pool where the quality of the air may not be adequate for healthful breathing. If the air within the shallow pool defined by the crib bumper system and the mattress is of less than adequate quality, the infant's health can be at least temporarily impaired by inadequate oxygen supply or by other aspects of poor air quality. The infant that is lying on its back will of course be infinitely better off, even in conditions of poor air quality, because the air near the upper portion of the shallow pool defined by the crib mattress and crib bumper will be of better quality as compared with the air at the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately, parents can seldom control the sleeping position of infants. Fortunately, many present day homes are equipped with air blowing heating, cooling and ventilating systems which sufficiently agitate and circulate the air within the rooms so that the shallow pool effect of a bumper lined crib may not result in detrimental air quality for the infant, and the air within the crib will be of virtually the same quality as the environmental air of the room.
It is well known that carbon dioxide and perhaps other gases that are breathed by animals, including humans, is of greater specific gravity, i.e., heavier than oxygen. It is known also that carbon dioxide is liberated from the lungs of all animals during the air interchange of breathing. Thus, if an infant is sleeping in the shallow pool of a bumper lined crib, and the conditions of air circulation and agitation are inadequate for sufficient displacement of carbon dioxide from the shallow pool, the oxygen content of the air within the pool may be insufficient for adequate health of the infant simply because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in which the infant is located. Carbon dioxide is a non-life sustaining gas that, if breathed in conditions of insufficient oxygen or when the percentage of carbon dioxide to oxygen is too great, life of a human or other animal cannot be sustained long term. This condition, as explained above, can be worsened or made better by the position of the infants head while lying in the crib. The point is, well meaning parents may be inadvertently subjecting their infants to conditions of unhealthy air without knowing that the air being breathed by the infant is of poor quality as a result of the infant being confined for long periods of time within a shallow pool of a bumper lined crib.
Although the biological conditions causing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have not been determined by the medical profession, to the knowledge of the inventor, it has been postulated that the air quality about a sleeping or lying infant may have some influence on the cause of SIDS. At present, however, there exists no medical evidence that heavy carbon dioxide concentration in an infant crib is a factor of causation for SIDS. It can be reasonably postulated as well however that in conditions of poor air circulation, the air in the shallow pool of a bumper lined crib may become of poor quality for breathing simply due to the continuous build-up of carbon dioxide being liberated from the lungs of an infant. It also seems logical that because of its specific gravity, carbon dioxide accumulating in the shallow pool of a bumper lined crib and displacing the oxygen that would otherwise be present in conditions of good air circulation, represents an undesirable characteristic from the standpoint of general health. Where a condition of carbon dioxide buildup exists, the longer the infant remains in such a condition, the worse the air quality will become. Thus, poor air quality due to the presence of excess carbon dioxide could be a cause or contributing factor to SIDS though no medical evidence exists at the present time, to the knowledge of the inventor, which might indicate that the presence of heavy gases could be a factor of causation from the standpoint of SIDS. The present invention therefore has, as its contribution to the health of infants, the provision of a system, or broadly means, for enhancing the quality of the air that is present in infant cribs by ensuring continual natural drainage or forceful removal of concentrations of heavy gases from the region of cribs at or near the level of the upper surface of the crib mattress so that the air breathed by infants will be of essentially the same quality as the environmental air of the rooms in which the cribs are located.
Although it is desirable to utilize crib bumpers for the benefits that they provide, it is also desirable to provide a means for ensuring air interchange into the confines of the bumper system to avoid the possibility of accumulating excessive carbon dioxide within the air that is available for breathing by an infant that is confined therein. It is also desirable to ensure against the development of an air containing seal between a crib bumper and a mattress of the crib so that heavy gases such as carbon dioxide will not become entrapped within the confines of the crib bumper and that such heavy gases will be caused to flow downward from the edges of the crib mattress, resulting in naturally occurring displacement of such heavy gases with air having essentially the same quality as the quality of the air of the home or room in which the crib is situated.